Publication

This paper analyzes why some individuals choose to become suicide bombers in Afghanistan. The author argues that his findings largely discredit the commonly-held view that the personalities of the insurgent suicide bombers and their religion are the principal causes of their actions. He explains that, although religion can play a vital role in recruiting and motivating potential suicide bombers, the driving force is not religion but a cocktail of motivations including politics, humiliation, revenge and retaliation, as well as altruism.